More household waste being recycled at Community Recycling Centres

Not only are Bridgend County Borough residents recycling more than ever at the kerbside, but the amount being recycled at the three local Community Recycling Centres has also soared.

Between April 2017 and March 2018, an impressive 89 per cent of materials taken to the centres in Tythegston, Brynmenyn and Maesteg were recycled, compared with 82 per cent during the previous year.

The rise has been attributed to the changes introduced by Bridgend County Borough Council and their recycling partners Kier last summer which mean that anyone visiting one of the centres is now asked to separate their waste so that anything recyclable is put in the correct skips, so that only the leftover non-recyclable items go into the general waste skip.

We are thrilled with the way that residents have adapted to this change, accepting that they can no longer expect to just turn up and throw a bag full of materials into a general waste skip without taking time to sort the materials accordingly.

Change like this takes a bit of getting used to, so full credit to residents for taking on the challenge to be more green and recycling as much as possible. Thanks to local residents, only 11 per cent of the waste taken to our Community Recycling Centres ended up in landfill during 2017-18, and we hope to improve that figure even more next year.

Councillor Hywel Williams, the council’s Deputy Leader

Materials that can be recycled at the Community Recycling Centres include batteries (car and household), bikes, bric-a-brac, cans, cardboard, cooking oil, gas cylinders, glass bottles and jars, green/garden waste, electrical and electronic items, fridges/freezers, motor oil, paper, paint, plastics, scrap metal, soil, textiles and wood.

The three Community Recycling Centres are currently operating summer opening hours, which means that they are open 8.30am - 8pm (Monday - Friday), 8.30am - 6pm (Saturday - Sunday).

Please be aware that if you want to take a van or trailer into the Tythegston or Maesteg community recycling centres, you may need a tipping permit. Vans and trailers can’t be taken to the Brynmenyn centre. Tipping permits can be obtained free of charge by calling the council on 01656 643643 at least 48 hours before you want to visit one of the centres.

The council recently published its annual overall recycling rate which showed that the amount of household waste being recycled by local residents has increased from 58 per cent in 2016-17 up to 68.5 per cent for 2017-18.

To find out more about recycling in Bridgend County Borough, please visit www.recycleforbridgend.wales